Loss of Innocence
by TheAlphieParadox
Summary: PreHBP. At Sirius Black’s will reading, Harry learns that his parents will was never executed. Why? Lily and James Potter are alive. Independent!Harry, Manipulative!Dumbledore. Pairing unknown.


Summary: Pre-HBP. At Sirius Black's will reading, Harry learns that his parents will was never executed. Why? Lily and James Potter are alive. Independent!Harry, Manipulative!Dumbledore.

**Loss of Innocence** (Working Title)

**Chapter 1**

Sixteen year old Harry Potter lay on his bed at the Dursley residence staring accusingly at his clock. The numbers 2:04 stared back. The boy scanned the sky in vain hoping to see an owl flying towards him. Today was July 31st, Harry's 16th birthday, and he did not feel like celebrating. He was alone with people who hated him, away from the magical world-his home-, his friends had not written, and to top it all off his godfather, the only one to ever offer Harry a proper home was dead, and it was all his fault. 'Well, not all his fault,' Harry amended, 'Voldemort, Bellatrix, Dumbledore and even Sirius himself shared the blame as well.' Harry sighed and rolled on to his back, beginning to go over the properties of various potion ingredients in his head.

This summer had not been a good one for the Boy-Who-Lived. The Order members warning had only served to irritate the Dursley's and they had locked him in his room for a day. Now he was allowed out to do chores and only if they were done to Petunia's satisfaction was he allowed food. Hedwig had arrived at the Dursely's the day after him, and at Vernon's furious look he had quickly sent her to stay with Hermione. His trunk had been locked under the stairs, but he had managed to rescue a few of the Wizarding Culture and Law books he had purchased by Owl-Order before leaving Hogwarts. Among these books he had found a book explaining many Potions techniques meant to serve as a guide for home schooling first year students. Determined to become a better Wizard, Harry immediately set about learning these techniques and was now in the process of understanding how different ingredients reacted with each other, and how different brewing styles affected these interactions. But most importantly he had a thin volume on Occlumency. This had been difficult to find but his searching had paid off in the end. It offered tips on how to clear your mind, and how to build up mental defenses. Harry could successfully clear his mind but was unsure as to what to use for his mental defenses. The book suggested that each person was unique and used something personal to them.

Around 3 am, Harry was just dozing off when he felt something strange. Opening his eyes he noticed something glowing on his desk. Cautiously making his way over, he saw a letter with a large ornate 'G' on the front. It was surrounded but what looked like galleons, sickles and knuts. Reasonably deducting that this was a letter from Gringotts', Harry picked it up and began to read, wondering at the odd method of delivery.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_It has come to our attention that Mr. Sirius Black is recently deceased. As such his will must be read. Previous attempts to communicate with you were either returned unopened, or replied to by a Mr. Albus Dumbledore. As we require a direct response from a clients over the age of 11 named in wills, we have resorted to this attempt to communicate. A reading date has been set for July 31st and you must attend or return the following forms with a proxy, in order to prevent forfeiting your inheritance. If you require a portkey, please indicate this on the back of this letter and we will be able to provide this service for a fee. _

_Gringotts_

Harry was surprised. The letter from Gringotts seemed almost, well, nice! Every other visit to the goblin bank (which admittedly were few), he had been met with surly tellers, leaving him to believe that that was just the goblin temperament. He turned the letter over and quickly grabbed an old pen and scribbled "I would like a portkey for Sirius Black's will reading". He hoped the pen would work, since he did not have a quill and ink handy. The words vanished, removing his doubt, but also reminding him eerily of Tom Riddle's diary.

It was then Harry stopped to think. Voldemort was after his blood. He should not have trusted this letter and he sure as hell should not trust any portkey. How could he know that it was really from Gringotts? This was exactly the type of foolish behavior he had to avoid. Just look where it had gotten him. He sighed and flopped onto his bed. Deciding to worry about it in the morning, he quickly fell asleep.

Harry awoke to his aunt's screeching the next morning. He quickly got dressed and began to make breakfast, eating as much as he could without his relatives noticing. He escaped back into his room, and sat down wondering when this portkey would come, and trying to figure out how he could get out of his chores without his relatives going berserk. Vernon had not hit him yet that summer and he wanted to keep it that way.

As he was pondering this something appeared in the corner of his room. He had grasped his wand and turned before he realized that this was a Gringott's goblin.

"That look is quite unbecoming on you, Mr. Potter," smirked the goblin as Harry gaped at him.

"I thought I was getting a portkey," said Harry still in shock.

"Ah, yes, but there was some concern expressed over the safety of that and the problem of getting you the portkey without it being intercepted. So if you are ready to go, the reading is beginning shortly."

Harry nodded, and the goblin placed his hand on Harry's arm and suddenly Harry found himself standing in a white room. Through one of the windows he could see the main area of Gringotts bank.

"Wow!" he breathed. "Was that apparition?"

"No, it is goblin magic," said the goblin curtly. "Now hurry along. We're late."

"Wait! What about my aunt and uncle? They'll kill me if they find out I've left. And what is your name?"

The goblin looked surprised. "My name is Montogluck. And I do not believe you will have to worry about your aunt and uncle."

Before Harry could argue this cryptic statement, Montogluck had led him to a door and was motioning him in. Figuring there was nothing he could do at the moment, Harry entered the room.

This room had a few rows of chairs facing a desk and Harry quickly sat down in one near the door. No doubt the rest of the order would be here soon, and Harry was not too happy with Dumbledore for replying to Gringotts on his behalf. Hopefully he could escape after the reading and look around the Alley, though he knew no matter how close to the door he sat, this was unlikely.

Hermione and her parents were the first to enter. Seeing Harry she ran over and hugged him tightly. "Oh Harry! I was so worried when Hedwig arrived at my house, with no letter and refusing to leave. And you wouldn't respond to any of the letters I send either! Are you still feeling guilty about Sirius? Oh Harry, it's not your fault. And you know I'm always here to talk if you need to." All this was half mumbled into his shoulder as she seemed intent on squeezing him to death.

He tried to extract himself from the hug and replied, "I was worried about what the Dursleys might do to her so I sent her to you. I have never received a letter from you, or anyone else for that matter. I thought you might blame me for getting you hurt…" He purposely ignored the part about Sirius. Now was not the time for that.

Hermione let him go and smiled. "Of course I don't blame you. I wasn't quick enough. I need to work on that next year." She led him over to her parents. "Mum, Dad, this is one of my best friends, Harry Potter."

Pleasantries were exchanged but inside, Harry was worrying about what would happen when Dumbledore arrived. It seemed very probable that Dumbledore was stopping all his mail. He had replied to Gringotts and now it turned out that Hermione's letters had never arrived.

A few other people filed into the room, giving Harry a strange look but staying nothing. Eventually, he saw the telltale Weasley hair, and braced himself.

He went unnoticed for a while, surprising since the room was not very crowded, but soon Ginny saw him and made her way over. "Hi Harry!" she smiled. "How has your summer been?"

"Better than most, I've been keeping busy. The Dursleys are tolerable. How has yours been?"

"Oh, it's been great," she grinned, touching Harry's arm. "We've been at Headquarters, and the place is much nicer now the Kretcher's gone."

Harry shifted uncomfortably away from her hand, and was about to ask what had happened to Kretcher, but was cut off by Mrs. Weasley's shout.

"Harry dear! What are you doing here? It's far too dangerous for you to be out alone; Dumbledore can stand in as a proxy for you." By this time Ron had made his way over to Harry and the twins were grinning at him from the other side of the room.

"Uh…well…" he stuttered. "I…"

He was again cut off, this time by Dumbledore who had entered the room unnoticed. "Harry, my boy! I had asked you not to leave your home. What are you doing here?"

Harry stared. He went over to Dumbledore and said quietly, "Why didn't you tell me that Sirius's will was being read? I came to get some closure over the death of my only family."

Dumbledore looked piercingly at him, and Harry studiously avoided his eyes. "It is not safe Harry. I would have stood in for you and you still would have received anything he left you. I'm very disappointed in you."

Harry squirmed with guilt. Dumbledore was right. He shouldn't have come. But something nagged at him. "You promised to keep me informed about things relating to my life. Now that I'm here, I'm staying."

He turned to return to his friends, and Dumbledore called after him "Very well, my boy. I will escort you back home when it is finished."

"Yes, sir" said Harry quietly and walked back to his friends and sat down. As a goblin came to the front of the room Harry noticed Draco and Narcissia Malfoy slip into the room. Harry's eyes darkened in anger and he was glad that the elder Malfoy was still in Azkaban.

The goblin surveyed the assembled group and cleared this throat. He started speaking and people quickly quieted down.

"You are all here for the reading of the will for Sirius Black, Head of the House of Black. If you are not, please leave."

No one moved, and the goblin placed a clear sphere on the desk and stepped back. A ghostly image of Sirius rose from the globe and Harry gasped. He hadn't realized he would be seeing Sirius. He gritted his teeth against his tears as the image started speaking.

"Hello everyone." He cleared his throat. "I, Sirius Black, Lord Black, being sound of mind and body bequeath my assets as instructed below. To Remus Lupin I leave 500,000 galleons and my heartfelt thanks for being such a good friend over the years. To Nymphadora Tonks I leave 250,000 galleons as well as 500,000 galleons to her parents Ted and Andromeda Tonks. I hereby invite the three of them back into the family and hope the future Lord Black supports my decision." Here Sirius smirked mischievously. Becoming serious again he continued, "To Molly and Arthur Weasley I leave 100,000 galleons, and to each of their children, Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ron and Ginny Weasley I leave 10,000 galleons. I leave an additional 10,000 in the care of Arthur Weasley for Percy Weasley if he is ever reunited with the family. I also leave 10,000 to Hermione Granger.

"As per the Black family laws, I leave 2 knuts Narcissia Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange." Sirius paused here, and Harry took the opportunity to glance over at Draco and his mother. Narcissia looked disgusted but not angry. Draco looked positively gleeful. Wondering about this, Harry turned back to the front.

"Finally, Black family law dictates that I must leave the bulk of my estate to the eldest Black male, who will become the new Lord Black." Harry felt sick. Draco was the son of a Black. He was the only remaining Black male. Indeed, Draco was smiling smugly. "Therefore, I leave the remainder of the estate to Harry Potter."

There were loud protests coming from the Malfoys, and Sirius must have expected this because he loudly said "This is non-contestable. As Harry's godfather and magical guardian, he has all the rights and privileges he would if he had truly been my son. As the current Lord Black, my son of course becomes the next.

"Harry, I wish I could be there for you, but it seems that I could not. I hope the Black estate is helpful to you in whatever you do in the future. I have made arrangements for my account manager to go over everything with you after this reading. I love you as my son, Harry, and just remember I support you in whatever you decide to do as long as you decided it." Sirius smiled one final time and then his image vanished.

As Harry sat pondering this cryptic statement, Malfoy began yelling angrily at a goblin. His mother sat ashen-faced beside him. Harry then noticed Dumbledore making his way over to where Harry sat. Just as his hand landed on Harry's shoulder a goblin called out, "All monetary funds have been placed in your vaults. If the recipient does not have a vault one will be created. You may pick up your keys at the tellers desks. Would Mr. Potter please remain behind to deal with some issues relating to the Black Estate. Everyone else is asked to leave. Now."

Harry sighed with relief. He didn't have to go back to the Dursley's yet. He was still trying to find a way to stop them from realizing he had left. He quickly waved to his friends and slipped out from under Dumbledore's hand.

When he reached the front, he realized that Dumbledore had followed him and sighed internally.

The goblin nodded curtly at him. "Mr. Potter. Mr. Dumbledore will have to wait outside until we are finished. But be warned this may take a while."

"I will be standing in for Harry with regards to financial matters," smiled Dumbledore, his eyes twinkling madly. "As he has no magical guardian, I will be stepping into that role."

The goblin sneered. "This matter concerns only Mr. Potter. It is merely a formality to him gaining headship over the Black household."

Dumbledore glanced at Harry and opened his mouth to speak, but Harry smoothly cut him off. Attempting to appear young and naïve he smiled at the Headmaster. "Sir, I'm sure I can handle this right now. After all it's only a formality. But I'll be sure to come to you if I need help managing everything."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed for a moment but then he smiled benignly. "Of course, my boy. I will be waiting for you outside."

Harry nodded and sat down to wait for Dumbledore to leave. As the door closed behind him the goblin muttered something and the door flashed for a moment. "Activating a privacy ward," he said at Harry's inquiring look.

The goblin picked up some papers and placed them in front of Harry. "These are the last statements for the Black vaults. Also included are all set transactions to and from the vaults as well as any investments."

Harry glanced down at the papers, slightly overwhelmed. The goblin chuckled. "Don't look so overwhelmed Mr. Potter. I'm sure you're used to seeing statements like this. This is nothing compared to the Potter vaults."

Harry gaped. 'Potter vaults!? As in more than one? Statements?' he thought.

The goblin ignored his look. "Also, as head of the Black family you will be emancipated in the Magical world on your 16th birthday, pending your obtaining a minimum of 6 OWLs. This means you would be free to regain your seat – oh excuse me – seats on the Wizengamot, practice magic, though you are bound by the secrecy laws like all adult wizards, manage your estates, and many other things.

"We have requested a rush on your OWL results from the Ministry and are expecting them soon. This is common procedure for any heir about to take up Headship."

Harry just stared. Finally he found his voice. "Emancipated? I have seats on the Wizengamot? What about the Potter vaults? I only know of one, and I've never received a statement."

The goblin gave him a funny look. "You've n ever visited the Potter vaults? You should have been made aware of them on your eleventh birthday, though not able to manage them until now. Unless your parents another heir, you should have become Head of the Potter House upon the reading of your father's will."

"My parents had wills? May I see them?"

"One moment, Mr. Potter. I will ask for the wills and attempt to determine why you were never told of your holdings. Meanwhile, here are your OWL results," he said picking up an envelope that had just appeared on the table. "Perhaps you would like to look at them while you wait."

Harry nodded dumbly. His breath hitched as he nervously opened the envelope. He tremblingly pulled out the single sheet of paper and began to read.

_OWL results for Harry James Potter, Gryffindor._

_Astronomy: A  
Charms: O  
Potions: EE  
Transfiguration: EE  
Defense Against the Dark Arts: O  
History of Magic: P  
Divination: A  
Care of Magical Creatures: O  
Herbology: EE_

_Congratulations on receiving 8 OWLs. You received the highest score in your year for Defense Against the Dark Arts._

_Over the years students have often wanted to take OWL's in subjects they did not take in school. If this is the case, please contact us before September 1st and a date will be arranged for early October. This only applies to subjects where you have not taken an OWL test. It does not apply if you have failed._

Harry breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had passed almost everything. He never expected to pass History of Magic anyway. And 8 OWLs was enough to be emancipated. He waited eagerly for the goblin to return.

When he did return, he was accompanied by another goblin. The goblin stared at Harry for a moment, so Harry stood and extended his hand. "Harry Potter."

The goblins both stared for a moment. Finally the second one smirked and shook Harry's hand. "I know who you are Mr. Potter."

Harry blushed. "Uh. Well may I ask who you are?" he stammered.

"Ragnok. I am here because you asked to discuss your parents wills, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, I'm afraid, Mr. Potter, that the wills in question were never executed."

"What?" said Harry angrily. "Why not?"

Ragnok looked piercingly at Harry, appearing to look into his very soul. "Wills are not usually executed until the maker is dead." He paused at took in Harry's expression. "Yes, Mr. Potter. Your conclusion is correct. Lily and James Potter are alive."

Authors Notes: Okay I started a new story. So tell me what you think. Should I continue?


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